“We do what we want”
The lawyers of the 25-year old
singer have been trying for eight months to reach a settlement with Topshop
owner Arcadia Group, “but they offered her $5,000 and said they don’t care”,
says an insider to the New York Post.
“We do what we want”, is what the
chain supposedly said to the management of Rihanna. Legally they could be
right: Topshop says it buys the T-shirts from a supplier that bought the
picture from a photographer. A loophole in British legislation would make it
possible for Rihanna to come away without a dime.
The singer however is resolved to
win and has went to the London court. According to Rihanna and her management “it’s
the principle. They are taking advantage of artists. It is just exploitation”.
The fact that Rihanna has a major deal with Armani and has designed her own
clothing line for River Island – a direct competitor for Topshop in Brittain –
probably also were a factor.
In the few American Topshops the
T-shirts are not for sale. “They know better than to do this in the US because
they would get in trouble”, said the source to the New York Post.
